WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marketing programs to help Michigan fruit growers recover from last year’s frost disaster are among some 20 federal block grants announced by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

The $1.26 million in grants to the Michigan Department of Agriculture also include projects to help train employees of wine-tasting rooms and help Christmas tree growers, organic farmers and maple syrup producers find new techniques to market and manage their crops.

The projects also include support for apple, asparagus, blueberry, grape, cherry, Christmas tree, onion, and potato growers. For a complete list of Michigan projects, visit www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp.

Stabenow, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, said the grants are a direct result of her work on the 2008 Farm Bill, when she authored a section that provides support for specialty crops.

Prior Farm Bills, which are adopted every five years to set national food policy, focused largely on commodity crops like corn, wheat and soy, but had no section dedicated to fruits and vegetables.

“This is welcome news for Michigan agriculture, our state’s second largest industry and a major cornerstone of our economy,” Stabenow said in a news release announcing the grants.

“This announcement is a prime example of why a new farm bill that strengthens this kind of support is vital for Michigan’s economy.”

Stabenow, D-Lansing, also is the author of sections in the 2013 Farm Bill that strengthen support for fruit and vegetable growers.

Although the 2013 Farm Bill passed in the Senate last summer, it remains stuck in the Republican-led House, where language that funds the nation’s food stamp program has been stripped. The current farm bill expires on Monday, Sept. 30.

The Michigan grants were among $52 million in funding for specialty drops announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The 54 block grants will support 694 initiatives to assist producers of fresh fruits and vegetables and help strengthen markets for specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture, according to a USDA announcement.

"These investments will strengthen rural American communities by supporting local and regional markets and improving access to fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables for millions of Americans," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in a press release announcing the grants.